Dag Juhlin, Steve Dahl and Brendan Greeley
Robservations on the media beat:
Leave it to Steve Dahl to come up with a new twist on an old stunt. During an appearance at Zanies Rosemont Wednesday the Chicago radio legend will host a Halloween costume contest. But here's the catch: Fans can dress up only as Dahl or one of his co-hosts, Dag Juhlin and Brendan Greeley. (Or as Dahl calls them "three stay-at-home podcasters.") The event will feature a recording of two episodes of Dahl's daily podcast before a live audience. (Here is the link for tickets.)
Andy Shaw
Andy Shaw, who stepped down last year as president and CEO of the Better Government Association, will be honored by the not-for-profit government investigative group November 5 with its Daniel L. Goodwin Watchdog Award. NPR's Scott Simon will be featured media guest at the BGA annual luncheon at the Hilton Chicago. “Andy Shaw transformed the BGA during nearly a decade as our president," current president and CEO David Greising said in a statement. "Today, we are doing high-impact investigations and holding government accountable with lawsuits and advocacy for open government, and it all builds on the foundation Andy set. All of Illinois has benefited from Andy’s work, and he is a deserving Watchdog honoree.”
Mike Adamle
Mike Adamle, the former Chicago sportscaster, will headline a panel discussion about mental health and sports November 4 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. (Here is the link for tickets.) Sponsored by NBC Sports Chicago and hosted by David Kaplan, the event will be tied to the documentary "Headstrong: Mental Health and Sports," which premieres at 9 p.m. November 9 on the regional sports network. In 2017 Adamle retired as sports anchor at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 after he was diagnosed with dementia and signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head as an NFL player.
Rich "Svengoolie" Koz
Chicago TV treasure Rich Koz will be saluted on 40 years as beloved horror movie host “Svengoolie” at a fundraiser Saturday for the Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 North State Street. Starting at 6:30 p.m. the event will feature a meet-and-greet with Koz, the unveiling of a 40th anniversary "Svengoolie" exhibit (including his original coffin and artifacts from the original set), and a Halloween costume contest. (Here is the link for tickets.)
MeTV FM
It's a "45s and Flipsides Weekend" at MeTV FM. Look for the Weigel Broadcasting soft-rock oldies station at WRME 87.7-FM to spotlight a select group of records that had memorable songs on both sides. Starting at 7 p.m. Friday, listeners will get to hear both sides — first the A-side, then the B-side — played back-to-back for more than 100 two-sided hits throughout the weekend. “As a kid trying to stretch my allowance, I remember that getting a popular song on the B-side of a 45 was a real bonus — two hits for the price of one,” said program director Rick O’Dell.
Chicago Sun-Times
They're changing things around a bit at the Chicago Sun-Times. Starting this week publication of the Weekend Plus section will move from Fridays to Thursdays, and publication of Well, the health and wellness section, will move from Thursdays to Sundays. Sun-Times editor-in-chief Chris Fusco announced the shifts in what he called continuing innovations at the paper.
Walter Cronkite
Wednesday’s comment of the day: Frank Kurtz: All of us, even news reporters, have inherent biases. It's human nature. There's no denying that fact. That being said, [Walter] Cronkite was an icon who was respected by almost all Americans. Would his style hold up in today's jaded times? I don't know. But that's the reason I don't believe in holding any historical figure to the standards of today. America, like its people, have evolved over the decades/centuries. Bottom line is that Cronkite was a respected figure and, nothing against Gwen Ifill, but if she is deserving of a stamp, so is Cronkite.